Improvement in cartridge-boxes



NEWCOMB & LYON.

Cartridge Box.

Patented Dec. 3-, 1867.

l @Q05 @QQ OGG@ @@@mw Q96@ @@@MQU d" [7u/6705093 M W m being set down inthis socket' in an upright position, while a lnitrb tatee giatwt @time ALBERTC. NEWCOUB AND BENJAMIN LYON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNORS l`'I'O 'lllEh'lSELVESAND SAMUEL W. PORTER, OF TI-IE SAMEPLACE.

i Letters Patent No..71,638, dated December 3, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARTRIDGE-BOXES.

TO ALL WI'IOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, ALBERT C. Nnwooiun and BENJAMIN LYON, both of'Springfield, in the county of Hampden, and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have. invented a new and useful Improvement in Cartridge-Boxes; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription cf-the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which* v Figure 1 isa perspective view of our improved cartridge-box.

Figure 2 is'a plan of a full-sized block or cartridge-holder, removedfrom the cartridge-box.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through line C D of tig.- 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section through line E F, iig. 2, showing acartridge in place.

Figure 5 is aplan view, showing different modifications of ourinvention.

Figure 6 is a vertical section through line H I of fig. 5, showingdetails of construction of said modifications.

Figure 'T is a. side view of the movable bottom Zot' a box, and i Figure8 is a plan view of said bottom.

The nature of oui-'invention consists in constructing a cartridge-box insuch a manner that the cartridge,

when placed in its chamber or receptacle in the cartridge-box, shallrest upon an elastic .bed or support, so that.

the fiange and head of the cartridge shall be elevated above the top ofthe block which contains the'l cartridges suibcicntly to be easily andquickly seized and drawn out whenY required for use, said elasticsupport also serving to preserve the cartridge from injury duringtransportation in the box.

It is well known that, as cartridge-boxes are-now constructed, more orless difficulty is experienced by the soldier in withdrawingrthecartridges from the box, especially when in haste, and the difficulty isincreased if his hands are benumbcd with cold. Our invention entirelyobviates this difficulty, as, if thengers, somewhat spread apart, bepressed down slightly upon the cartridges when the-latter are in placein the chambersof the cartridge-box, and the fingers then broughttogether, they arey sure to grasp some one of the cartridges v notpressed down. Y 1 Y The construction of our invention is as follows Inthe drawings, B represents the block or holder, in which I are formedthe cylindrical chambers b b, made of suiiicient diameter and de pth toreceive a cartridge. At the bottom of this chamber 6 a smaller hole, e,is made as a. socket for the sp iral spring a, the end of the springportion of the spring projects upward into the chamber b. A tack, i',having a head sufficiently largo, is driven down through the interior ofthe spiral spring a into the wood, thus holding the spring firmly inplace. The spring projects into the chamber Z su elevato the iiange s ofthe-'cartridge d a short distance above the upper surface uv of theblock B iig. 4, so that the head of the cartridge d may be readil i, 1'

from the box. Fig. 6 shows the details of construction of differentmodifications of o'ur invention, in which No. 1 is the same as has beenabove described. No. 2 has thehole e made in, the bottom of the block B,Lcommunicating with the chamber in which case a. movable bottom, Z, isattached to the block B, and kept invplace by the ears m m, or by anyother suitable means, andthe spring a is attached to the movable bottomlat r', in such position that when the bottom Zis attached to theblock'B, the spring a extends up through the holee into the chamber Z1.In No. 3,' iig. 6, the chambery extends from the bottom of the block Bup to the point t, and is of'larger diameter than the chamber 6, andinto this chamberf which is also of larger diameter than the chamber Z1,andA of such the chambcrf. The small cavity n is made in the bottom ofthe piece t to receive the upper end of the spring 1., said spring abeing attached to the movable bottom Z at 7c. No. 4' represents amodification similar in form and construction to that of No. 3, exceptthat :t circular piece, a', made to fit the chamberftightly, andhavingthe cavity o in the-top for the insertion of one end of the spring a, isinserted inthe lowerpart of said chamberf and fastened in securely, thelower end of the spring a resting in the cavity o, and the upper end ofsaid spring a being inserted in the cavity n, said cavities n o servingto keep' the spring a in its propcrvertical posid iciently to as shownin size and form as to move freely vertically in tion. This circularpiece :v may also represent a separate bottomA attached, as the chamberf could be made inserting all the ypieces It and springs a a, a bottom,of the under-all the chambers b I, in a block, and after is inserted,through its bottom, the piece 71,

thickness x, could beA glued or secured to the bottom of the block B. Weprefer, however', the method of construction shown in No. 1 of g. 5, asbeing cheap, durable, and practical. No. 5 of fig. 6 represents amodiication similar in construction to that of No. 4, but witlra spring,g, made of rubber or caoutchouc, substituted for thc metallic spiralspring a. .fWe prefer, however, the metallic spring a, as moredurableand elastic.

The operation of our invention is as follows: When it is desired toremove a cartridge from the box, the thumb and fingers are spread, asshown in red in iig. 1, and pressed down upon the heads of thecartridges, so that the cartridges are depressed intothcir chambers,their ila-nges, 6 and 7, coming in contact with the iop ot' the block B,as shown at r t". If the thumb and fingers be new brought together, someone of the cartridges which areremaining elevated above the surface ofthe block B, between the thumb and fingers, as 8, will be grasped, andcan easily and quickly be removed from their chambers.

The block B may be made of pressed paper, metal, or of any othersuitable material, that being of no consequence as regards theapplication of our invention to said block B. The cavity in the bottomofthe chamber b, for'the reception ofthe bottom of the spring a, mightbe omitted in the construction of the cartridge-box, as the said springa might rest upon and he secured tothe bottom of the chamber b by thenail t', but we prefer to use the cavity e, as it greatly assists inkeeping the spring a in an upright or vertical position.

It is evidentthat any form or kindof spring may be used, and that it maybe attached by many diierent methods, as may suit the taste, any and allof which we consider as equivalent to eachother, and to the methods wehave shown, the object of our 'inventionbeing to provide thc bottom ofthe chamber Invith a suitable elastic support for the cartridge While inits place in its chamber b. If the cartridge rests upon the solid bottomof a chamber, there is danger of explosion iii a metalliccartridge--there being fulminatcs in the heads of such eartridgcs-if thecartridge-box or the cartridges were struck upon the top by accident. Itby oversight any ball were not properly secured to its shell, anyviolenteoncussion or jar might entirely loosen and remove the ball andpowder from the shell. All of the above diiiculties and objections areremoved byour invention, as the cartridges rest upon an elastic bed orsupport, and they cannot receive the full force of any concussion.

It is evident that our invention is equally applicable vin theconstruction of cartridge-boxes te contain ,cartridges made of paper, orof any other suitable material, as those, made of metal. y

We are aware that devices have been used to renderv the removal ofcartridgesfrom their chambers free of diiliculty, but never, to ourknowledge, has an elastic support in the cartridge-chamber of the boxbeen constructed or used for that purpose. i p l l Having thus describedour invention, what we c laim as new, and'desirc to secure by LettersPatent, iss

A cartridge-box, having an elastic bed or support in thc bottom ofthechamber b, upon which the cartridge may rest while in place,substantially as herein described and for the purposes specified.

ALBERT C. NEWCOMB, BENJAMIN LYON.

Witnesses:

T. A. CURTIS, M. E. BROWN.

